Tweeting during shows

[RyanB83]

Posted: 7/14/11 at 11:27am

Really great blog post by emerging playwright Kimberly Lew about tweeting and texting in the theater, a topic I know is hotly discussed and debated on these boards.

check it out:
http://www.crazytownblog.com/crazytown/2011/07/turning-it-off.html

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 7/14/11 at 5:26pm

Cant respond right now because I am SITTING IN THE THIRD ROW AT WICKED (go me!) and SOMEONE in the chorus just hit THE. FLATTEST. NOTE. *EVER*. I am so gonna SAY SOMETHING ON THE BOARDS RIGHT NOW about how awful this is! Wait, I only get 140 characters? Well, that is sooo seriou

Updated On: 7/14/11 at 05:26 PM

[binau]

Posted: 7/14/11 at 6:41pm

To be clear it isn't the concept of 'texting' or 'tweeting' that bothers me but the distraction the light/device causes..if people want to spend $100+ to see a show and distract themselves with other things, well that's fine....I just wish it wasn't so damn distracting..

[trentsketch]

Posted: 7/14/11 at 6:44pm

People WANT theaters to encourage texting as part of an interactive experience? No. Bad bloggers, bad. Time out, right now. You sit on the naughty stool and think about what you suggested. And don't you come back to me until you give serious thought to how distracting those awful blue lights from cellphones are.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/14/11 at 7:15pm

"To be clear it isn't the concept of 'texting' or 'tweeting' that bothers me ..."


Actually, the concept of texting bothers me. You spent all that money to watch a show, and you're not watching it. Your opinion of this show isn't much better than someone who's never seen the show, because you're not seeing it either.

And if you think you can multi-task and do both at the same time, you're wrong. That has been proven many times.

So go ahead and text until you're thrown out of the theatre. But don't tell me you've seen the show, because you haven't.

Posted: 7/14/11 at 8:56pm

Good blog post, though she doesn't really say anything new, I suppose. But anyone else bothered by all the sections that are in bold? Talk about short attention spans--are people who are busy texting and tweeting while reading the blog just encouraged to read the bold parts?

[PopAria]

Posted: 7/14/11 at 9:42pm

Does anyone else think that the ushers with flashlights are more annoying than texters and tweeters?

[Dad'sOldRecords]

Posted: 7/14/11 at 10:15pm

As the author of this article, I really appreciate everyone's feedback. @EricMontreal22, I totally agree that I didn't feel like I was saying anything new. But that's partly why, when I saw how much people were advocating for finding ways of incorporating social media with theatre experiences, I was so surprised people weren't faster to object. I just feel like it would do audiences such a disservice, all for the sake of trying to keep up with the times.

And as for the bold... I agree it can be a bit distracting. It's a stylistic thing for the blog as a whole, but if it helps get the point across, that doesn't hurt either.

Posted: 7/14/11 at 11:53pm

Well I do think it's important to say--we had a previous thread with other similar blog posts I guess was what I intended to say. It wasn't meant to sound so catty.

(And I admit I hadn't read your blog till now, so didn't get the bold, but there I was being mainly facetious).

I agree the desire to somehow "keep up with the times" by allowing social media with the theatre just strikes me as completely bizarre.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 12:33pm

I do.

Late-arriving audience members have been by far the biggest source of annoyance and distraction in my theatre-going experience.

[Dad'sOldRecords]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 9:48pm

@EricMontreal22: Oh no, I totally didn't think any of your post was catty. When it comes to whether or not texting in the midst of an audience is rude, I agree that it's a no-brainer. One of the biggest frustrations I have with the idea of changing the rules to keep up with technology is that it's not only bizarre but also a little insulting to millennials as a whole. As though we can't control ourselves enough to put it the technology down. And even if that was true, I don't think there's anything wrong with enforcing a rule for the sake of teaching people to focus and appreciate a complete experience outside of the digital sphere.

Of course, I've also seen that I'm preaching to the choir here. :)

Posted: 7/15/11 at 11:02pm

Kdogg, I've yet to be to New York, but most theatres in my experience, with the exception of some of the more touristy ones in ondon which were awful, do observe the rule of allowing latecomers only to be escorted in during key breaks in the show. Is that not the case there? Of course sometimes it gets extreme but this was at the opera where they're prob more severe, I had to leave early during Act I of a LONG opera (don Giovanni) to make an emergency phone call, and I assumed I'd only miss a bit of Act I before I'd be allowed back in, but instead I was forced to stay in the lobby for the remainder of the 90 or so mins first act. My friend I went to was actually kinda worried.

Dad'sOldRecords, I completely agree. It's kinda ironic that these technologies that are called, for a reason, social media often serve to cut people out of shared *real* social experiences--including sharing with an audience and the actors/crew in live theatre

[Dad'sOldRecords]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 11:22pm

Exactly. And that being said, I do think that there are a lot of interesting opportunities to use social media for marketing purposes. A commenter on the blog mentioned that SF Playhouse has designated seats at the back of the house (as not to disturb others) where select audience members are offered a free seat in exchange for tweeting throughout the show. From a marketing standpoint, I can see the benefits of this for building audiences and sharing experiences with those who can't attend the performance. I just think tactics like that need to be recognized for what it is -- a marketing tool, not a tool meant to enhance the theatre going experience. Until tweeters/texters are willing to pay MORE for a seat where they can text, I don't even think tweeters/texters can justify that texting during a show is valuable enough to need to be done on the spot.